San Francisco Restaurants

Going to San Francisco and not getting a buttery, cinnamon-scented morning bun at Tartine is like going to Venice and not seeing a canal. The lines at the original flagship are legendary, but thankfully a new SF location has just opened in the Inner Sunset neighborhood. Liz Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s bread is iconic—and yes, we realize we just called bread iconic, but we stand by it. (The secret sauce is in the heritage grains and fermentation…we think.) And so breakfast of smoked salmon, pickled onions, and cream cheese smeared on a slice of crisp toast is only logical. Fill a paper bag with Tartine’s outrageously chewy chocolate cookies, flaky croissants, and light-as-air muffins for later. You won’t be sorry.

Based on the quickie souvlaki restaurants all over Greece, Souvla is the easy, unfussy lunch place you go for a bright salad; warm, salty fries; or souvlaki.

The restaurant inside SFMOMA is as inspired and beautiful as you would want a modern art museum restaurant to be.

Angler is where you go when you want a laid-back dinner by the waterfront in a place that puts all the attention on the food.

Sure, it might not feel like SF needs yet another Italian restaurant. The truth is, Che Fico (pronounced “kay-feeco”) is anything but. It also happens to be one of the hardest tables in the city to land right now. GP went when it first opened, and it continues to live up to the hype, down to its Instagram-friendly design details—a chevron-tile-lined entryway, a fire-engine-red pizza oven, and a boldly wallpapered stairway. Chef David Nayfeld and fellow Eleven Madison Park alum and pastry chef Angela Pinkerton have assembled a menu that’s at once familiar but also masterful, meaning it’s all really good and leans heavily on local California produce. Pastas (orchiette with fennel sausage and broccoli rabe, goat’s milk ricotta gnudi with ramps) are handmade, and the pizzas are oven-charred and finished with Parmigiano Reggiano. Everything is meant to be shared, and dishes pour out of the kitchen as they’re ready, so you should just go for it and order everything that strikes your fancy. For dessert, it’s a toss-up between the olive oil cake with elderflower ice cream and the bittersweet chocolate pudding. Photos: Douglas Friedman and Krescent Carasso.

If you're looking for world class Chinese food in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, Mr. Jiu's is it. Chef Brandon Jew takes a modern approach to traditional Chinese food, putting his own twist on classic dishes such as pork buns and black sesame cake, already earning him a Michelin star in his first year. The wood paneled floors give the space Old World charm, but the views over the financial district let you know that you're at the heart of the city. They also have a wonderful bar with drinks such as “Harmony” and "Clarity", again blending Western spirits with traditional Chinese flavors like green tea, ginger, and lime.

Mexico City native Gabriela Camara has gained trailblazing status for her California-meets-Mexico fare (think: prawns in chile guajillo broth and crab tostadas with napa cabbage and habanero). Always bustling for dinner, the Hayes Valley hotspot is also a mainstay for lunch (its adjacent standing room taqueria is open daily from 11am-2pm). While the food is reason enough to come, it's worth noting the interiors—industrial and light-filled—are beautiful.

A lively Mexican resto, this Cow Hollow spot is the perfect place for after work drinks and group dinners. The menu is an authentic as is comes, with recipes passed down from the founders' families–and fresh-made masa corn tortillas accompanying most dishes. Don't miss the fried plantains with spicy crema–with a de Flores margarita on the side, of course.

We love a good milk tea but often loathe all the sweetness that comes with–which is why we're fans of Boba Guy's genius menu option that allows you to customize your sweetness level (75 percent is ideal for an occasional treat, 25 percent if we're opting for several a week) and milk type (organic whole, almond, or soy). There are several locations throughout SF (and three in NYC).

Paying homage to her ancestral roots, Dominique Crenn's second (and slightly less experimental) restaurant emphasizes fresh seafood dishes—mussels and clams with garlic and saffron—and a great selection of French wines. The bright, cozy space is white, crisp, and just a touch nautical, with lights dangling from raw rope built-in bench seating decorated with light pillows. Unless you want to eat at the first come first serve bar, try to make a reservation well in advance. The menu is prix fixe—but it's totally worth it.